Dallas Cowboys' Recent Contract Decisions Paint a Bleak Picture For 2025 and Beyond

The Dallas Cowboys appear to be playing on borrowed time. Many of their coaches and players are playing on one-year deals, meaning the team could be planning some significant changes after the 2024 season.

Head coach Mike McCarthy recently signed a new agent, likely in hopes he can work out some sort of extension with owner Jerry Jones and the Cowboys. If not, it would be likely that another team would sign him after this season, and a new agent could help facilitate a much better deal. McCarthy and most of his staff are working on one-year deals, and should he sign with a new team in 2025, he would likely take many of them with him.

Jones told reporters during the team's pre-draft press conference, "We want Dak Prescott, and that's that." Saying that and acting on that are two completely different things. Prescott is due for an extension, but Jones has been playing coy on that front for months.

He instead said, "We'd like to see more leaves fall." This analogy doesn't hold a lot of weight when your star quarterback leads the NFL with 36 passing touchdowns but is not met with confidence regarding a new contract.

To make matters even more complicated, the Cowboys appear to be planning on moving on from Trey Lance. A source told Todd Archer of ESPN that the team is declining to pick up Lance's fifth-year option.

The fifth-year option being declined is not a surprise at all, as it would have cost the Cowboys $22.4 million and been fully guaranteed. Should Jones' comments about keeping Prescott ring true, that $22.4 million would be better served as part of a new deal for their current franchise quarterback.

The issue is that "coach speak" or in this case, "owner speak," isn't good enough any longer. Jones can't continue to give out one-year deals and expect the team to want to play their hearts out if they are knowingly playing on an expiration date. The same can be said for the much-deserved but missing extensions for Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.

Both are at the top of their games and are integral parts of how the Cowboys are able to be playoff contenders year in and year out. Losing one or both would severely damage the offensive prowess the team currently has. So, Jones should be figuring out a way to extend both to show that he is not taking his stars for granted.

Jones playing the "wait and see" game is only further damaging the team, and his odd decision to not go after better players in free agency also added more confusion. The team had some clear cap issues to deal with, but there are many cheaper veterans who would still serve as viable starters.

The good news is the running back room was finally addressed, as Ezekiel Elliott was reunited with the Cowboys on a one-year deal. Elliott should boost a room that previously only contained Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, and Royce Freeman, among other less-proven commodities.

Jones also stated that the team is "all in" in 2024, but the results of his moves via free agency do not paint a picture of being all in. Take the Rams, for instance. They made big trades to ensure they would be a contender, like trading for cornerback Jalen Ramsey and quarterback Matthew Stafford.

They were met with a Super Bowl victory in 2021 after trading away all their first-round picks for years on end. The 2024 NFL Draft was the first time the team had a first-round pick since 2016. Going after playmakers is how a team goes all in, and the Rams were the epitome of that.

Jones should have treated the 2024 Cowboys in the same manner. If it meant trading away picks for the chance at an elusive Super Bowl victory under Prescott, the team should have been far more aggressive during free agency.

The Cowboys did draft more protection via the 2024 NFL Draft after they used their first-round pick to select Oklahoma tackle Tyler Guyton. Guyton is obviously still unproven, and he is not enough to replace the two Pro Bowlers the team lost in center Tyler Biadasz and left tackle Tyron Smith. It was a step in the right direction, but simply not enough.

Declining Lance's fifth-year option was not a terrible decision by any means, but it does point to Jones playing a dangerous game with his team. Keeping Prescott might still happen, but will other players and coaches be happy with how their owner has treated their hard work without proper rewards? The 2025 season could turn into a rebuilding year if Jones does not make some significant moves soon.